


Tell him because it means something.

by samstoleaburger



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Bleach, Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Crossover Pairings, I Guess...?, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Not Ashamed, M/M, Past Torture, Post-Resident Evil 7, Pre-Relationship, Referenced/Implied PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 19:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16646582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samstoleaburger/pseuds/samstoleaburger
Summary: “You're interested in him, aren't you?”Ethan clenched his jaw and averted his gaze, deciding to focus on his half-filled cup instead.





	Tell him because it means something.

**Author's Note:**

> So I played a bit of RE7 one day and was browsing a few fic plots I had written up. Which ended up with me rereading the Ichigo/Alex one I had come up with back in...'15. (Can't exactly post stuff out of order is all I'm saying. That and I've got a few other Silent Hill crossover ideas to go along with that.) But anyway, I see that and while I'm all snug in my bed, a thought pops into my head. Said thought being, "He trusts you," and it rolled downhill from there. Wrote it all in one go. Woo. I'm so proud of myself.

It didn't come to a head until Alex entered the kitchen, clad in a worn pair of boxers and a black tank top. Slowly making his way to the coffee pot and a low, barely there hum of pleasure once he filled the remaining third mug and took a sip. The heat barely registering to his tired brain but Ethan could only focus on just how well the tank hugged Alex's figure. His shoulders slumped but his arm muscles bulging as Alex moved to curl both of his hands around the mug to seep up the residual warmth.  
  
He couldn't help but notice and Ethan didn't think to keep his eyes to himself. To keep them above the waist. Especially not when Alex shifted his weight, causing his boxers to ride up his left thigh and demanding all of Ethan's attention south at the action. A simple, mundane move and Ethan felt a quiver in his stomach. Something he'd forgotten about for the past six months.  
  
Ethan forced himself to look away, tightening his hold around his mug in hopes to quell the stirring in his pants and stave off the warmth in his cheeks. He turned his head to further aid in his aversion and damn near jumped when he saw Ichigo looking right at him. Brown eyes steady but Ethan knew better than to trust the look on Ichigo's face.  
  
It didn't help that Ichigo knew, that he saw Ethan blatantly eyeing Alex right in front of him. Nevermind the arousal Ethan was still trying to curb despite the fact. Ichigo knew and he was staring at him with an unreadable expression, Alex's puttering in the kitchen notwithstanding.  
  
The clatter of pans and pots served as their background noise since it overshadowed Alex's absentminded humming.  
  
“You're interested in him, aren't you?”  
  
Ethan clenched his jaw and averted his gaze, deciding to focus on his half-filled cup instead.  
  
“You are.” Ichigo's tone brooked no argument but also held no contempt either. He lifted his mug and took a generous gulp before he put it back down. “You wouldn't look at him that way if you weren't.”  
  
He couldn't find it in himself to argue, to defend himself and call it a false accusation. Not when they both knew it was true. Ethan never _looked_ before, even when Alex accidentally walked around shirtless with only briefs on during his first day here. The scar on Alex's shoulder in the shape of teeth and the gnarled one on his left leg were more concerning than his underdressed state at the time.  
  
“Not that I can blame you,” Ichigo continued, as if he were discussing the weather. Like it was an everyday typical Sunday. “Alex is attractive even if he can't see it himself. Took me telling him straight up for him to realize I was into him.” There was a ' _clink_ ' on the table, indicating that Ichigo had put his mug down again after a long three minutes of silence on Ethan's end. “You should tell him.”  
  
That, however, broke Ethan out of his petrified state and his self-sworn vow of silence. “What?” He bodily turned to regard Ichigo, eyes wide and his left hand trembling against the ceramic of the coffee mug. “Why would...why would you - how can you be okay with that?”  
  
Ethan's seen how Ichigo gets, whether it's subconscious or not, whenever someone even looks in Alex's direction outside of their shared apartment. Anything that seemed less than platonic was met with a quiet yet intimidating hostility. His eyes change, subtle enough to make one think it's a trick of the light but Ethan's seen it happen first hand. He's been on the receiving end of Ichigo's glares before.  
  
Ichigo held up his mug and peered inside, tilting his wrist to swirl the contents. “Why wouldn't I be?” He flicked his eyes up, looking at Ethan from under his lashes and bangs as if _Ethan_ is the one who's acting weird. “He trusts you.”  
  
“That...that doesn't change the fact that you're his _boyfriend_. He's yours -”  
  
The golden tinge that Ethan had been expecting the second he got caught staring finally made its appearance as Ichigo hissed, “Alex doesn't belong to me.” His grip on the mugs handle tightened as one of his eyes started taking on the hue entirely. “He doesn't belong to _anyone_.”  
  
His voice started to darken, an echo-like sort of effect. Just like it had when Ichigo told Ethan that he had two choices. That while Alex may trust him, Ethan still has to prove he won't break it and make Alex regret it. That Ethan has a darkness attached to him and that Ichigo can _see_ _it_. Can see what it does to Ethan and how it _changes_ him.  
  
“And I'm gonna make damn sure it stays that way.”  
  
Ethan simply sat there, pinned down by Ichigo's glare - by _both of their glares_ \- and his hand started to twitch uncontrollably. Residual fear and stored adrenaline making him shake in response to the _unnatural_ state of Ichigo's voice and eyes. He's seen monstrosities that people could only dream of for a Halloween blockbuster. He's been part of the survivor's story, he's lived it and he knows both Alex and Ichigo have too.  
  
He's seen how they deal with it. How Alex still struggles after all these years to let strangers and even people he knows get close to him. How Ichigo has this haunted look in his eyes when he thinks no one's looking.  
  
Ethan knows he's still struggling. Six months and he still wakes up in a cold sweat, panic racing through his veins and his throat clogged by the screams that try to claw their way out. He doesn't know when he'll be okay again or if he ever will be. Normal feels so out of reach, like sand through an hourglass. Always evasive, always slipping away before he can take hold.  
  
He wonders if this is what jump started Alex's trust. Ethan never bothered to ask the why or how in regards to it and asking now seems pointless.  
  
“I stand by what I said, Ethan.” Ichigo's tone began to smooth out, taking on its usual cadence as his eyes returned to their usual brown. “You should tell him.”

**Author's Note:**

> So...in case anyone was wondering about those two specific scars Ethan so graciously pointed out, the one in Alex's leg is from the drill Judge Holloway used on him. Obviously. The one 'in the shape of teeth,' however, would be considered a spoiler but I'm confident you guys can figure it out.
> 
> Also, Shiro isn't explicitly named in this but, yes, he's still with Ichigo. I haven't exactly kept up with the manga since the kidnapping plot got recycled but...y'know what? This is my story and canon can go sit in a corner.


End file.
